Ever heard of the DISC profiles? It is relatively simple to stop and think about yourself and consider what makes you tick….and tock. How well are you doing this with the other people on your team? One approach does not work for all, and surprisingly some people STILL do not seem to understand this!
To offer a great example of this, I will discuss my two children for a moment. My son is motivated by getting the freedom to do whatever he wants without interruption. On the other hand, my daughter loves praise, attention, and recognition. My point in this simple example is to illustrate that different people are wired differently and have varying motivations for what they do. The members of your team maybe a little older than my kids, but the individual variations in their motivations are no different.
I would like to introduce DISC profiling to anyone who is not currently familiar with it. DISC has nothing to do with Legos, movies, CDs, or DVDs either.
DISC is, however, an acronym that stands for the following:
D – Drive
I – Influence
S – Steadiness
C – Compliance
[Image is taken from http://www.opcoxford.com]
Can you find yourself in the chart above? I am a high “D” and a high “I” and yet I know that there are areas in which I am critically weak. If I built a team with all personalities like mine, how well would that work? I know that there would be a lot of unproductive fighting because of the dominance and the competitive traits in this example. Variety is often referred to the “spice of life” and your team should be no different. All successful teams are well rounded and should offer different perspectives and experiences.
[Tweet “All successful teams are well rounded and should offer different perspectives and experiences.”]Are you struggling to build your team beyond a certain point?
Look again at the chart and think about your people who may fit into each area. If you see a glaring deficiency, you may want to seek someone with the skills and the traits that you seek. If you have never had the opportunity to try a free DISC test, here is one that I found for you all to try.
So, I have told your how different people have different motivations, but I have not shared how to manage the different profiles. I do not believe in a “one size fits all” approach to anything. This never works with fitted baseball hats, socks, or t-shirts so how could people be less complicated than clothing?
Here are a few steps that you can refer back to when it comes to managing the individual people on your team:
1. Know your audience.
You should make a habit of tailoring your conversation to compliment the person(s) that you are talking to. If you are talking to an “S,” sincerity in all that you say is very important. Keep this in mind, and you can increase their motivation, engagement, and loyalty. This allows you to connect on a very personal and intimate level. It’s personal and everyone loves feeling understood and appreciated. The same conversation with a “D” may not have the same impact because their focus is on results. Make sense?
2. Be a committed listener.
No one cares what you think and wants to listen to you talk. Sorry, the truth hurts I guess. Everyone loves talking about themselves, so why not just listen to them? I just finished this book and it offers very applicable advice.
These habits and techniques work well in life and fantastic when you are in a position of leadership! Seeking loyalty and commitment to your cause? Your search is over and this book will offer tips and advice to get people to follow you willingly.
3. Give credit when and where it’s due.
You don’t have all of the answers to anything, and neither do I. This means that we all need other people around us to navigate the challenges that business throws at us. When someone finds a solution, thank them in the open. When another offers an idea that gives your organization a breakthrough, celebrate their contribution and others will do the same. Leading is not the same as managing, but it is significantly more powerful.
The DISC profile is a great tool that offers some insight into what makes us all different. Taking the time to become tuned into the individuals on your team is one of the wisest uses of your time. Do you understand the people that you are responsible for? Do they understand you?
My hope is that this gets you one step closer to building a stronger, deeper bond with the people on your team.
Their success is your success. Embrace their differences and leverage the collective talent to get an advantage over your competition.
This book “Building a High Performance Team with DISC Profiling: Tools for rapid growth companies” looks at tools and techniques to build high performing teams in businesses experiencing rapid growth. Jim Collins found that leaders of great companies get ‘the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seat.’ That’s a difficult task, even when you have time to consider it carefully and you fully understand the roles and responsibilities of each ‘seat’. Ever managed a business through explosive growth? When you rapidly grow the size of your ‘bus’ you need to figure out what the new seats are, then find the right people to go in them…..quickly. You have to sort out existing personalities and roles, bring on large numbers of new people, find which roles to split, where to create new positions and which staff are best suited to each job. This book looks at a tool that can help you sort out the roles and the personalities in a compressed time frame – DISC. Proven to get the right people in the right seats.
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